Hackers breach U.S. and Canadian airports to broadcast pro-Palestinian messages

Several airports in the U.S. and Canada were targeted by a cyberattack on Friday, during which messages in support of Palestine and critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump were broadcast through airport loudspeakers.

According to American media reports, at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, the voice of a woman was heard over the speakers shouting “Freedom for Palestine” and criticizing Israeli and American leaders.

She identified herself as a “Turkish hacker, Cyber Islam.” Airport officials stated that the messages were not threatening and that the audio system was shut down after about ten minutes.

In Canada, three airports — Kelowna, Victoria, and Windsor — were hit by similar attacks. At Kelowna Airport, an online advertising system was breached, and messages critical of Trump and Netanyahu were displayed.

In Victoria, music and messages in foreign languages were played over the speakers. Windsor Airport reported that both its flight information display and audio systems were briefly disrupted but quickly restored to normal.

Canadian and American authorities confirmed that the attacks only affected peripheral systems and posed no threat to flight safety or passengers. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched a joint investigation to identify the perpetrators.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, though some of the messages referenced a group calling itself “Cyber Islam.”

Some Western media outlets have reported that the incident has raised concerns among airport authorities in North America, who suspect that the attacks may have originated from outside the two countries.